Hardboiled, Noir and Unicorns –

short story

British sensation Paul D. Brazill does a lot of writing. A lot. He’s also put together an anthology entitled “Exiles,” and I was lucky enough to get in on it. The contributing authors have been guest blogging over at his site about the origins of our stories. Mine is up today. Have at it, please. You can find it here.

My story “Uncluttering,” about a mother who needs some room to breathe, is up at British noir site Near to the Knuckle. When I wrote that story, I needed to vent out. Bad. At first I figured it would be just for me because it … was off-putting. But I figured if people were going to read it, NTTK would have the balls to put it up. I think other sites have the balls as well–namely Out of the Gutter–but since I write for OOTG I figured I’d look elsewhere first. And NTTK did it. Thanks Daz and Craig. You guys throw down with the heavy weights.

Also, NTTK needs some love for their anthology Gloves Off. What a killer book. I mean it. Of course, I’m in it, but even if I wasn’t I’d still hold that collection in high esteem. If you like your fiction a little on the gritty side, here is your breakfast, lunch and dinner for weeks to come. It also features Zelmer Pulp authors Brian Panowich and Chris Leek, so you know it’s good.

Ebook should be available tonight, print should be ready later in the week. Here’s a preview:

Timejacked: The Rand Paradox

by Chuck “In the 24th Century, the ultimate form of vanity is to create a personal alternate Earth timeline. Chlör Byzantine, a B-Grade web celebrity, travels to 1957 to stop Ayn Rand from ruining the future… but she is ready and waiting for him.”

THE WHORES OF GOD

By Chris “Earth in the 22nd Century is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there; the moral majority has taken a stand and if you want your kicks in 2132 you have to go off-world to get them. In the international waters of deep space everything is available, for a price. Jensen Corduroy is on a mission to get laid, but the Reverend Ellroy has a much higher purpose, he is on a mission from God.”

THIS PROTEAN LOVE

By Isaac “Adelita Salazar, the last living border agent of her precinct patrols the Tierras Oscuras, the Dark Lands, in search of her missing brother, encountering killers, and refugees, human, and machine in a futuristic world where the nature of reality is as uncertain as her future.”

GEEK SQUAD 2.0

By Brian “In the 60’s and 70’s they did it with a bullet. In the 80’s and 90’s they did it with the media, but today if you want someone dead, it’s as easy as a Google search. The Geek Squad, bringing assassination to the modern age, but still can’t get dates for the prom.”

WHEREVER THE LIGHT ENDS

By Ryan “In 1947, twins sisters disappear from the face of the Earth during the most horrific experience of their lives. Later they are found, and they have new parents, new scars and a desire for a new life. When they die in 2012, shut-ins and with no family and no friends, the results of that one disappearance mark the end for mankind.”

Folks, Chris Rhatigan of All Due Respect fame let blabber about my favorite subject: me. We did it at his blog, Death By Killing. There I take the time to explain how incredible I am, how the world needs/owes me and I recommend some of my greatest accomplishments. Namely, well, everything. Ever.

Check it out, leave a comment and for God’s sakes, read Rhatigan’s stuff. The dude is damn good. He’s got a short story collection out right now and a novella coming out at the end of April through (KUBOA) press.

Rhatigan edited the All Due Respect anthology that features my story “Formula and Meth.”

They did it. The pros at Crime Factory went ahead and lowered their standards just for me. Richard Dean Buckner, homicide cop turned private detective, is just trying to get to an all night Armenian diner when he comes along a high pimp beating a pregnant whore. So of course it’s time to beat his face in. Then people start shooting. Then a high speed chase. Then a car wreck outside of a police station. Then…finality. Sprinkle in some PCP and a need to protect an unborn child and you’ve got a winning formula. Hammer down.

So, at the beginning of the year I wrote a (long) short story about a wingless fairy named Pixie who spends her days being drunk and slaughtering the zombie infestations that always pop up in her magical homeland. My wife, a multi-genre fiber artist, did my cover. I uploaded it to Amazon and sent it out into the world, for better or worse. Hammer down.